Television digest and FM reports (Jan-Dec 1948)

SIGHT AMD SOUND Time-sharing allocation of single available EastMidwest coaxial link (Vol. 4:48) got more complicated this week when ^lutual also bid for time quota, asked for facilities to link soon-to-start WOIC, Washington, and next-spring-starter WOR-TV, New York, with WGNTV Chicago. It’s obvious move of MBS to gain TV identity through TV-owning stations which own the network, though actually WOIC and WGN are affiliating with CBSTV. AT&T officials continued sweating over compromise this week, hope to have proposal agreeable to contenders next week. Meanwhile, plans are shaping up to celebrate linking of East-Midwest networks night of Jan. 11 or 12 with pooled show' aimed at acquainting public, stimulating TV “circulation.” National spot representatives threw the book at networks’ practice of representing affiliated stations for spot advertising this week before FCC en banc, emphasizing that practice holds more serious potentialities in TV than in radio. Katz Agency’s Eugene Katz alleged networks now option from two-thirds to all TV operating hours, and attempt to control TV stations through onerous affiliation contracts. Free & Peters’ H. Preston Peters quoted letter from ABC president Mark Woods soliciting ABC spot sales representation for TV affiliates. Network officials challenged allegations, disclaimed control and monopoly charges. November Hooperatings again put Texaco Star Theatre, WNBT, at top of New York area’s first 10 (score 80.7, highest ever for any radio or TV program). Others in order: Toast of the Tovm (51.8) and We, The People (46.4), both W’NBT; Thu. Small Fry Club (36.5) and Amateur Hour (31.9), both WABD; Kraft Television Theatre (30.2), Chevrolet on Broadway (29.9), Americana (28.6), Bigelow Show (25.4), NBC Symphony (24.5), all WNBT. Pulse Inc. ratings for N. Y., same period, agree with Hooper’s first 2, but place Amateur Hour 3, WNBT boxing 4, Kraft 5, We The People 6, Small Fry 7, Winner Take All 8, WNBT wrestling 9, Chevrolet on Broadway 10. Veteran Washington radioman T. A. M. Craven, exFCC commissioner and its onetime chief engineer, quits vice presidency of Cowles stations as of Dec. 31, returns to private consulting engineering practice with Cowles group as his clients. He joins Lohnes & Culver partnership, which changes firm name to Craven, Lohnes & Culver, with offices in Munsey Bldg. TB.V has added display of 1949 T\’ models as feature of its Dec. 8 TV Clinic in New York’s Waldorf-Astoria. To roster of speakers (Vol. 4:47), it has added KSD-TV’s George M. Burbach, to discuss local TV program costs and WTMJ-TV’s Walter Damm to discuss new animated process for TV cartoonings. Expecting 250 to attend CBS TV Clinic Jan. 21-23, network is reserving all TV-equipped hotel rooms it can get for out-of-town enrollees. Hotels Roosevelt, New Yorker, New Weston and Taft have Hotelvision installations, charge $3 per day extra for receiver rentals. David C. Adams, who went from FCC to NBC with ex-chairman Charles Denny, later moved to RCAC as general attorney (Vol. 4:27) is returning to NBC as executive v.p. Denny’s executive assistant. Charles Hawkins replaces him at RCAC. Consulting engineer Worthington C. Lent has consolidated his offices anil laboratory in Miller Bldg., 4813 Betheda Ave., Hethesda, Ml. (Washington suburb) ; phone Oliver 8200. Top echelon shakeup at Farnsworth Television & Radio Corp., announced Nov. 29, involve president E. A. Nocholas taking over board chairmanship as well; inventor Philo T. Farnsworth becoming v.p. and director replacing Edward M. Martin; Washington attorney Abe Fortas (ex-Asst. Secretary of Interior, now law partner of ex-FCC chairman Paul Porter) going on board; chairman Jesse McCarger, directors Burton Howe and Charles Buesching resigning from board; S. A. Morrow replacing John Garceau as ad manager. Company reported net loss of $724,719 for first 6 mo. of its fiscal year (as of Oct. 31), compared with net profit during same 1947 period of $538,356. First Guardian Securities Corp. will shortly head group to sell block of authorized and unissued stock. Good reason why Philco officers and directors have all that zeal and esprit — their 1947 compensations (salary plus bonus), as disclosed in call for Dec. 15 stockholders’ meeting: John Ballantyne, chairman, $100,000; Wm. Balderston, president, $90,000; and v.p.’s James H. Carmine, $82,309; David B. Smith, $60,000; Thomas A. Kennally, $59,191; Harold W. Butler, $55,000; Joseph H. Gillies, $55,000; Larry F. Hardy, $55,000; W. Paul Jones, $52,500; Robert F. Herr, $40,000. Also directors Larry E. Gubb, ex-chairman, $50,000; William R. Wilson, treasurer, $40,000; Raymond A. Boyce, director of purchases, $35,000. Device to correct “astigmatism” of 16-in. tube has been announced by Motorola. Coil, attached outside tube at base, was developed by Motorola research engineer Dr. Kurt Schlesinger. DuMont and RCA officials, queried, report they have engineered their 16-in. tubes to overcome this distortion on outer edges of large tubes, were unable to say without further study whether Motorola development holds greater promise than already accomplished. Ingenious use of TV for V-bomb research is indicated in application for use of Channel No. 8 (180-186 me) by Boston U research laboratory. College technicians want to test out idea of putting TV camera in V-bomb, watch rocket’s innards as it climbs 50-60 mi. above earth. Laboratory work would be done at Boston, actual system tested at White Sands, N. M. NAB 5-man committee to study organization of association (Vol. 4:47) won’t be announced until next week. Meanwhile, next board meeting was set for Feb. 14-16, 1949 in New Orleans’ Roosevelt Hotel. E.xact figure for 1949 NAB budget is $774,273, roughly equivalent of this year’s finances. “Largely due to the loss from T\’ operations,” ABC reported considerable earnings drop for 9 mo. ending Sept. 30. Gross income from all sources was $39,080,912, estimated net $440,000 (26<‘ per share) compared with gross of $38,138,847 and net of $1,050,000 (62^) for same period last year. First West-to-East sponsored TV program to be piped on coaxial that opens Jan. 12 probably will be RCA Victor’s Kukle, Fran & Ollie, now carried on NBC Midwest Mon. thru Fri. 6-6:30 p.m., for which time clearances on NBC East (7-7:30) are being sought. Puzzled over facsimile’s place in newspaper-broadcasting business, Chicago Tribune’s WGN has loaned its FX transmitter and receivers tb U of Illinois School of Journalism for experimentation to find answers. If you’re traveling, and want The Digest to follow you, just let us know — send address where our Saturday mailings are reasonably sure of reaching you.